ARIZONA INDIAN YOUTH MUSIC CARAVAN

Peace, My Friend (Universal Audio UAS 852-62253) 1968

Inspiring custom production from the Arizona Indian Youth Music Caravan, a folk group of 10 Native Americans whose purpose was to involve young Indians people in the church and to communicate their problems and concerns through song. The real treasures are the songs with loner downcast moods where the acoustic/electric guitars and flute are accentuated by the steady beat of a tom-tom and the constant shake of a bell cluster. ‘Zuni Sunrise’, ‘Awakening’, ‘Birth’, ‘What Will I Do’ and ‘Someday – At Peace’ are all solid selections with convicting lyrics, the later stretching out to nine-and-a-half minutes, including some psychy electric tremolo fills. Some of these are arrangements of songs written by Native American artist Tom Bee. Also several Ray Repp covers (‘I Lift Up My Eyes’, ‘Peace, My Freinds’, ‘Of My Hands’ and ‘Till All My People Are One’), alhough these songs are not up to spec (think of a sleep-deprived Guitar Ensemble). Totallky worth it for the other stuff though. Back cover photo shows the group performing while all decked out in Native American garb. Dirtected by Ivan Makil. Phoenix, Arizona custom label. (The Archivist, 4th edition by Ken Scott).